National Pickleball League Showdown: The Scorpions finished second in the National Pickleball League event in Louisville, Colorado, near Denver, on July 5 and 6, 2025. After taking first place in Los Angeles earlier, they earned a 3-1 record in this second weekend of matches. They are now tied with the Seattle Tsunami at the top of the league.
Strong Start on Saturday
These pickleball games were played at RELISH, a large indoor center with 18 courts. All teams had to get used to the thin air and new courts. The Scorpions began by playing against Houston and Kansas City. They started strong, winning five of six gender matches. This early success meant they needed only two more points in mixed doubles to win. They did that by taking three out of six mixed matches. The final score against both teams was 8-4.
Dramatic Win Over Indy
On Sunday, things became much harder when the Scorpions faced the Indy Drivers. They won four gender matches but struggled in mixed doubles. When the score was 6-5, they needed just one more win. In the final mixed match, Marcin Rozpedski and Sabrina Guillebeaux played David Furman and Heather Iffert.
During the match, the Indy team challenged Marcin Rozpedski’s paddle while trailing 6-0. The referee paused play to check. Because the league did not test paddles beforehand, there was no way to confirm if it was illegal. Marcin Rozpedski decided to switch to his backup paddle. After the long break, the Scorpions won game one 11-0, lost game two 11-6, and then fought back to win the final game 11-10. This gave them the seventh point to win the team match.
Falling Short Against Seattle
Later that day, the Scorpions played the Seattle Tsunami after only a short lunch break. Tired and drained, they won just one gender match and fell behind 1-5. They rallied by winning four mixed matches, but it was not enough to force a tiebreaker. Seattle won 7-5 and finished the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record.
Seattle took home first place and the main prize. The Scorpions earned $2,500 for second place. Even though both teams have the same 7-1 record, the Seattle Tsunami lead in points.
There were some strong performances. John Riedy of Carlsbad stayed undefeated at 6-0. Brandi Zaslansky from Cardiff by the Sea played well despite getting sick from the altitude. She finished 6-2 thanks to support from her teammates, her husband, and two IV treatments.
The Scorpions will play next in Kansas City on July 12 and 13, 2025.
USA Pickleball also shared that some paddles are now banned in tournaments starting July 1, 2025, because they make games too fast.
News in Brief: National Pickleball League Showdown
The Scorpions took second place in Colorado after winning three of four matches. They are tied for first with the Seattle Tsunami. John Riedy stayed perfect, and Brandi Zaslansky overcame illness to help the team. The Scorpions play next in Kansas City.